When ideologies change so do the statues on the square. And with the end of the Cold War about 25 years ago, statues from Vilnius to Varna came tumbling down. Bulgaria, so subservient to Mother Russia throughout its 45-year-long communist nightmare, had more than its share of these propaganda statues. And many of them fill the backyard of the art museum in its capital city, Sofia.
I remember visiting the tomb of Georgi Dimitrov (the father of the Bulgarian Communist Party) here in Sofia back in the day. It was like going to a mini-wannabe Lenin’s Tomb. Today, no one even thinks of him. And his statue is just another face in this stony junkyard of propaganda.
I love to visit places like this and think of politics — compromise, diversity, respect, democracy, pluralism — and the treasure we have in our freedom. Here’s a quick tour.
This is Day 46 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.
Rick, how happy I am that you’re finally back in Bulgaria! I do hope that you are going to more than just Sofia, and hopefully places different from Plovdiv and the Rila Monastery. Happy travels!